Wire supporting device



Feb. 12, 1957 L. L. JUGLE WIRE SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 5, 1952 Feb. 12, 1957 l.. L. JUGLE WIRE SUPPORTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 5, 1952 Feb. 12, 195'? l.. L. JUGLE WIRE SUPPORTING DEVICE 3 Shee'ts--Sheeil 3 Filed Nov. 5, 1952 tttinited tates atent;

WIRE SUPPRTNG' DEVICE Leonard L, Jingle, Elmhurstfm., assignerA tir-Reliable Electric Company, Chicago, Ill., afcorporation of illinois Application November 5, 1952,Seriai-No. 318,896

6 Claims. (Cl. 287-261) This invention relates to improvements 4in wire supporting ,devices of the type known as deadends or cable clamps.

A deadend comprises a wire 'gripping device, a hail, and a yolie which connects the bail with the -wire 'gripdevice. The bail comprises'a/loop of wire by means ot' which the deadend is supported. This particular invention relates to a'deadend in 'which Vthe bail is of the hard wire"type, as contrasted with Vtheilenible type lof bail. ln other words, the hail is formed from a single strand of wire or 'oar stock, such as stainless steel wire stock.

ln the Vusual type i deadend, the bail engages the yoke at points which are spaced transversely of the longitudinal axis of the wire gripping device, these points of engagement generally being symmetrically ydisposed on opposite sides of the wire gripping device. 'This arrangement malte-s it dircult to providea yo te which is formed from sheet metal, since the force transmitted by the yoke is in theforrn of a bendingstress.:

An object of the present invention is to provide a deadend in which the yoke is designed to transmit the stress between the cartridge and the hail in the general direction of its length, thus avoiding thebending stresses above mentioned. in other words, the Objectis to provide a yoke which is disposed in a plane whichis generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the deadend, instead of being transversely disposed thereto.

A further object is to provide, in a'deadend, an improved arrangement of yoke and bail which permits the yoke to be fabricated from sheet metal or flattened tubular stock.

Still another object is to provide a ldeadend in which one end of the bail may readily be disconnected from the yoke, thereby providing a free end 'which may be threaded through a strain insulator,an1eyeor the like.

A still further object is to provide, in suchva deadend, a positive interlocking of the hail and the yoke whereby the two cannot become disengaged merely by a release of the tension on the wire which is gripped, bnt which nevertheless may be readily manipulated by a lineman to effect engagement or disengagement of Vsuch freeend.

in this connection, I 'have provided an arrangement which requires a pivotal movement of substantial extent of the bail with respect to the yoke in order to disengage an end of the bail.

However, the Vpresent arrangement of -bail and yoke readily adapts itself to other elective types -of interlocking action.

Other objects, features land advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

l is a side elevation of ya preferred embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fi". l;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing the bail and the yolrein a changed position;

L21 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3, which also shows in dotted lines the third position incident to disengagement of the free end of the bail;

2,78l,212 eatented een. 12,1957

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing the parts inthe fourth position in which the free end of the bail is completely disengaged and ready for threading through a `straininsulator or the like;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken along line 6-6 of Fig 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 6, but showing a different type of aperture;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section taken along line S-S of Fig. 1 showing the cooperation of the elements of the wire gripping device;

Fi. 9 is a View similar to Fig. 8, but taken along line 9-9 of Fig. l;

Fig. l0 is a left endelevation of the wedge and yoke member;

Fig. ll is a night end elevation of the wedge and yoke member, and

Figs. 12-1'7 are elevations and sections, respectively, of themodied forms of the invention.

in the embodiment shown, the wire gripping device comprises a shell lil and Va cooperating wedge il. rlhe deadend also includes a yoke i2 which is connected lto the wedge il, and which, lin the present embodiment, may desirably be formed integral therewith.

As shown 'in Figs. 2, 8 and 9, the shell is generally U- shaped in cross section, and is provided at its upper ends with anges 13 for engaging the wedge ii. An advantage of the present construction is that the wedge may he conve-nientlymade of sheet metal thus p oviding upwardly facing edges 3l which are engaged by the iianges 13;'the flanges may be turneddown to overlap the edges 21E.

The Wedge 1-l is preferably .formed with a concave gripping surface 11- Which assists in maintaining the wire 3o in a `centered position, and which provides a greater gripping area. The shell is desirably provided with a lplurality of serrations formed therein to enhance the gripping action.

Vln operation, rthe shell and the wedge are disposed, in longitudinally oilfset positions, on the opposite sides of the lwire Gti. Then they are telescoped together into gripping .relationship with the Wire. The arrangement is such that the tension or" the wire tends to draw the shell inone direction, and tension on the yoke tends to draw the'wedge'in the opposite direction, thereby causing the wire to be tightly gripped.

Attached to the yoke 12 is a ha:l ie having a hrs-t leg i7 and a secondleg l, the rrst leg being shorter than the second. legs are connect t vhy a connecting portion r9 which is pre-formed in a loop, the diameter of which, in a hard wire type oi hail is designed generally to conform with the shape of he surface of tre strain insulator or .ther element through which the bail is threaded.

The rst lleg is provided with a bent end 2? and the second leg with a bent end 'these bent ends are disposed generally perpendicular' to the longitudinal ai: s of the deadend and to the legs of the hail. t end 2@ is provided with enlarged portion or 22, an the bent end 2i is provided with a similar head 23.

The yoke l?. is the lortn of a vweh portion in which are .formed two openings, one being a keyhole slot 2d and the other 'an aperture 25. The keyhole slot cornprises 'an open end 2o and `a rearwardly extending tail 27. The aperture 2d may oe in the form of a simple circular opening 25a, as shown in Fig. 7, or, as shown in Fig. 6, it may he connected with a second aperture 23 by a slot 29, for the purpose to be hereinafter eX* plained.

i rEhe t The arrangement is such that the bent ends and 3 essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the deadend; the legs i7 and 13 are of unequal length, so that the bail can be oriented rearwardly in a direction substantially parallel-to said longitudinal axis. A

The wire of which the bail is formed is of substantially uniform diameter throughout, except for a flattened portion 32 and for the heads 22 and 23. The diameter of aperture 25 corresponds to the diameter of the bail wire. The slot 29 is of a width less than the diameter of aperture 25 so that the bent end 20 is conned within the aperture to the end that there can be no longitudinal displacement of the bail leg 1'7 with respect to the aperture 25.

The tail 27 of the keyhole slot is of a width substantially equal to the diameter of the bail wire. However, the open end 25 is of a diameter greater than the diameter of the head 23 with the result that if the bent end 21 is displaced forwardly, then that leg 18 may be moved in a transverse direction so as to disengage the leg from the keyhole slot.

By virtue of this arrangement in which the bent end 29 is conned against longitudinal movement, whereas the bent end 21 is free for longitudinal movement, it will be seen that the bail can be rotated upwardly from the Fig. l position to the Fig. 3 position, the bent end serving as a center of rotation. This pivotal movement causes the bent end 21 to be displaced forwardly until the head 23 registers with the open end 26 of the keyhole slot, this being the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Thereupon, the bail may be exed so as to withdraw the bent end land the head from the yoke as shown in the dotted line position of Fig. 4. When the bail is released, the second ieg 1S will snap back into the open position shown in Fig. 5, and in this position, a free end is provided which permits the bail to be threaded through a strain insulator, an eye, or the like.

ln other words, as long as the bail is substantially in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the deadend or of the wire which is gripped thereby, the leg 18 cannot be disengaged from the yoke. Disengagement is effected only by imparting a pivotal movement to the bail with respect to the yoke, a condition which will not occur in actual service due to the tension of the wire which serves to maintain the parts in aligned and interlocked position.

The iiattened portion 32 is provided so that the bail may be completely disengaged from the yoke. After the second leg-13 has been disengaged, the bail may be slid through the aperture 25 until the flattened portion 32 registers with the slot 29. The flattened portion is narrower than the width of the slot, with the result that the bail may be moved through the slot and through the second aperture 28, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of head 22. Thus, the bail can be removed entirely from the yoke.

However, in instances where complete removal is not desired, the attened portion can be eliminated, as well as the slot 29 and the second aperture 28, as shown in Fig. 7.

The operation has been detailed above in connection with the description or" the parts. To summarize the operation, after the wire gripping device has been fastened to the line wire 36, the free end or leg 18 of the bail is threaded through an insulator or similar deadend supporting device, and then the parts are brought into dotted line position of Fig. 4. At this time, the bail is pivoted upwardly as shown in Fig. 3 so as to permit insertion of the head 23 to the open end 26 of the keyhole slot. Then, when the deadend is released, the bail and the deadend will straighten into the more or less aligned position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the result that the bail is securely interlocked with the yoke.

The advantage of the present arrangement is Vthat the force is transmitted from the wire gripping' device through the yoke in the direction of its length, or longitudinal axis. Thus, there is no bending stress imposed on the yoke, and the force is transmitted in the direction of the grain of the metal. The bent ends 2@ and 21 are suiciently short so that any bending stress is relatively inconsequential with respect to the stiffness of the bail wire. As previously indicated, the bail wire may be made of stainless steel with the result that a wire of very small diameter will satisfactorily transmit the forces involved.

The fact that the bail is initially formed in the shape of an open U-shaped structure, as shown in Fig. 5, and that, when Ain operative position, the legs 17 and 18 are crossed, contributes to the interlocking engagement of the parts. By virtue of this arrangement, the heads 22 and 23 are biased into contact with the opposite surfaces of the yoke. Thus, there will be no lateral play of the parts.

When the invention is applied to the type of wire gripping device herein shown, that is, a wedge type, an additional advantage is obtained for the reason that the yoke and the wedge may be integrally formed from sheet metal, thereby providing an extremely serviceable and comparably inexpensive deadend. It will be observed that when made integrally, the web portion provided by the yoke is a piece of sheet metal which has been folded upon itself to provide a double thickness, thereby contributing to the strength of the yoke.

However, principles of the present invention are applicable to other types of wire gripping devices, thus providing a relatively inexpensive yoke construction which can be formed from sheet metal or flattened tubular` stock, and still withstand greater wire tension than other types of yokes formed from sheet metal.

For instance, Figs. 12 to 17 illustrate the application of the present invention to a deadend embodying a cartridge type of wire gripping device. This cartridge type is shown in Jugle Patent No. 2,288,138, granted June 30, 1942.

In Figs. 12 and 13, the yoke 40 includes a cylindrical portion 41, a connecting portion 42, and a web portion 43. The cylindrical portion 41 is adapted to receive a cartridge 44. The web portion is provided with a keyhole slot 45 and an aperture 46 which correspond to a keyhole slot 24 and aperture 25, or 25a, shown in the preceding gures. Since the bail 16 cooperates with the web portion in the identical manner pointed out with respect to Figs. 1-11, the bail is not shown in Figs. l2 to 17.

lt will be observed that yoke 40 is formed from tubular stock, thereby providing a comparatively strong structure, whereof the cylindrical portion 41 will resist spreading.

Figs. 14 and l5 show a yoke 40a which is similar in all respects to yoke 40 except that it is formed from sheet metal stock rather than from tubular stock. In this construction, in order to prevent the cylindrical portion 41a from spreading, rivets 47 are provided just below the cylindrical portion 41.

Figs. 16 and 17 show a yoke 40h, which is similar to yokes 40 and 40a, except that it is formed from two pieces of sheet metal stock, and is therefore provided with two sets of rivets 47 b adjacent the cylindrical portion 41. Also, this yoke is provided with two connecting portions 42b which define a window 48 which permits the insertion of the cartridge. Additional rivets 49 are employed to prevent the web portion 4312 and the connecting portions 42h from spreading.

Although only preferred embodiments of the present `invention have been described herein, it will be understood that various modications and changes may bepmade in the constructions shown without departing fromthe scope of the invention as pointed out in the appended claims.

Iclaim: A A

l. Ina deadend having wire gripping means which includes a longitudinally disposed member, the combination of a yoke attached to said member and having a web portion disposed parallel vtothe longitudinal axis of said member, said web portion having an aperture formed therein, a bail extending generally rearwardly of said yoke and including two legs, the ends of each of said legs being bent over at substantially right angles to the axis of said bail, one of said bent ends passing through and being supported in said aperture for pivotal movement in a plane substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said member, a keyhole slot formed in said web portion forwardly of said aperture with the tail of said slot extending rearwardly toward said aperture, the bent over end portion of said other leg being provided with a head having a diameter greater than the width of said tail portion, said second leg being sutiiciently longer than said rst leg so as to permit said bail to extend in a rearward direction from said yoke, whereby pivoted movement of said bail in said aperture will cause said second leg to slide forwardly in said keyhole slot so that said head will register with the open end thereof to permit disengagement of said second leg from said yoke.

2. In a deadend as claimed in claim l, in which said bent-over end of said first leg is provided with a head, a second aperture formed in said web portion having a diameter larger than said head, said rst aperture having a diameter smaller than said head, and a slot connecting said apertures, whereby said tirst leg may be disengaged from said yoke.

3. In a deadend as claimed in claim 2 in which the width of said connecting slot is less than the diameter of the leg of said bail whereby said first leg is normally retained in said aperture, one of the legs of said bail having a attened portion formed therein which has a thickness less than the width of said connecting slot, whereby said bail may be moved through said first aperture until said iiattened portion registers with said slot to permit removal of said bail from said yoke.

4. In a wire supporting device of the type described which includes a wire gripping device, the combination of a web portion connected to and extending rearwardly from said wire gripping device, a hard wire bail having a iirst leg and a second leg, said second leg being longer than said first leg, rst means providing a pivoted connection between said rst leg and said web portion, and second means providing a sliding connection between said second leg and said web portion, said second means comprising a keyhole slot in said web portion having an open end and a rearwardly extending tail portion, and a bent-over end portion for said second leg cooperating with said keyhole slot, said bent-over end portion being provided with a head which is larger than the width of said tail portion, but which is suiciently smaller lthan said open end of said slot as to permit removal therefrom.

5. In a wire supporting device of the type described which includes a wire gripping device, the combination of a web portion connected to and extending rearwardly from said wire gripping device, a hard wire bail having a. tirst leg and a second leg, rst means providing a pivoted connection between said rst leg and said web portion, and

second means providing a sliding connection between said second leg and said web portion, said second means comprising a keyhole slot in said web portion having an open end and a rearwardly extending tail portion, and a bentover end portion for said second leg cooperating with said keyhole slot, said bent-over end portion being provided with a head which is larger than the width of said tail portion, but which is sufficiently smaller than said open end of :said slot as to permit removal therefrom, said second leg being suiiiciently longer than said first leg so as to permit said bail to extend in a rearward direction from said yoke, whereby pivoted movement of said bail in said aperture will cause said second leg to slide forwardly in said keyhole slot lso that said head will register with the open end thereof to permit disengagement of said second leg from said yoke.

6. In a wire supporting device of the cable clamp type and which includes a wire gripping device and a rearwardly extending yoke attached thereto whereby the tension of said wire is transmitted through said yoke in a longitudinal direction, the combination of a web portion forming a part of said yoke, and a hard Wire bail having two legs engaging said web portion in supporting relationship, and interlocking with the same, the second one of said legs being longer than the rst, means providing a pivoted connection between said irst leg and said web portion, a keyhole slot formed in said Web portion forwardly of said pivoted connection providing means, with the tail of said slot extending rearwardly toward said pivoted connection providing means, said second leg being provided with a bent end adapted to extend into said keyhole slot, lsaid bent end having a head portion larger than the width of said tail portion, but smaller than the diameter of the open end of said keyhole slot, to permit removal of said second leg from said keyhole slot, the diierence in length between said rst and second leg portions being substantially equal to the distance between the rear end of said tail portion and said pivoted connection providing means so that when said hard Wire bail is aligned with the direction of the tension transmitted through said yoke, said second leg and said keyhole slot will be maintained in interlocked position, and whereby pivoted movement of said bail with respect to said yoke will cause said second leg to slide forwardly in said keyhole slot so that said head portion will register with the open end thereof to permit disengagement of said second leg from said yoke.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,388,716 Hughes Aug. 23, 1921 1,759,591 Pleister May 20, 1930 1,793,140 Steinmayer Feb. 17, 1931 2,288,138 Jugle June 30, 1942 2,472,527 Gordon June 7, 1949 

